September/October 2015
Nature Art Photography by Amy Jo Garner c/o AJG Consulting 100 Park Avenue Suite 700 Oklahoma City, OK 73102 Self-portrait created with Photoshop Mix on my Samsung Galaxy S6
405-996-2821 amyjophotoart.com
Fall Inspirations Welcome to the first expanded, bi-monthly issue of my Photo Art Mag. This issue contains the spooky, the supernatural, and the spooky natural. As I continue to explore
info@amyjophotoart.com
different ways to make art, I will continue to share with you. Unlike the earlier, monthly editions, photographs in this issue were taken with both my cell phone and my cameras. I once heard it said that the best camera is the camera you have with you, and I believe it. I am most likely to have my cell
phone with me. If I go out anticipating there might be an opportunity to take some photos, I carry my Panasonic Lumix with me. For planned photo shoots, I used my Nikon D3200. As I wrote in a blog post recently: It all starts with a photograph. This issue also introduces my new Fairy Macro series. I photographed flowers in my garden and then combined them with some fairy clipart from the aptly named website The Graphics Fairy. As a special offer in honor of this new format, I will send an 8x8 print of the Autumn Mosaic art piece to the first five readers who contact me and ask for a copy. As always, thank you all for your continued support. Stay creative!
2
Unless otherwise indicated, all photos used in Photo Art Mag are taken by Amy Jo Garner. See Tools & Resources for other sources, software, and tools used. If you enjoy this eMagazine, you might also enjoy the Nature Art Photo Quote mailing that goes out four time a year. You will receive a 5x7 print of an original piece of photo art by Amy Jo Garner. Visit amyjophotoart.com for more information. On the cover: Halloween Poster 2015 — Witch’s Workshop Signed prints available. Contact me for details.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Autumn Mosaic Digital Art Piece
4
Autumn Mosaic Workflow
5
Blood Moon 2015
6
Altered Marigold
7
Vintage Halloween — 1970s Wicked Witch Costume
8
Androidography — App: Photoshop Touch
9
Fall 2015 — Self-Portrait — The Symphony of Autumn
10
Androidography — App: BeFunky
11
Fairy Macro Series
12 –17
Experimental Art
18-19
Where to Buy—Back Cover
20
Tools & Resources Software
Tools
Adobe Photoshop Elements 13
Wacom Bamboo tablet
Adobe Photoshop CC
Samsung Galaxy S6
Adobe Lightroom CC
Nikon D3200
ScreenCast-O-Matic
Panasonic Lumix
Mobile Apps
Reference
Photoshop Touch Photoshop Mix
Somerset Digital Studio Magazine
Graphics
BeFunky
The Graphics Fairy Webtreats
3
Autumn Mosaic Digital Art Piece Created in Photoshop Elements 13 from a photograph and graphic images. Available as a 5-inch square greeting card and an 8x8 print mounted on burlap. Contact me for ordering details.
4
Autumn Mosaic Workflow 1) I arranged leaves and seed pods from my garden with some purchased mini-pumpkins on my round stone mosaic patio table. I stood on a step stool and took the picture from above with my Samsung Galaxy S6 phone. As you can see (image A), the original photo has a lot of undesirable detail, but I didn’t mind because all I wanted to work with was the top of the table. 2) I took the photo into Photoshop Elements 13 and removed the background using the Eraser tool (image B).
Image A
Image B
3) These are the steps in Photoshop Elements 13.
Create a new file with a square ratio. I used 24x24 inches.
Place the tabletop photo in the center of the canvas, resizing and rotating if necessary.
Duplicate the tabletop layer.
Place the feather image on the canvas and resize and rotate to fit in the corner.
Duplicate the feather layer and flip horizontally.
Select the two feather layers, duplicate the layers and flip horizontally.
Add four guides and use them to align the feathers and the tabletop.
Place the paper image onto the canvas. Move it so it is between the two tabletop photos.
Select each of the feather layers and change the blend mode to Overlay. While selected, also edit the layer style to include a Drop Shadow in black.
Select the top tabletop layer and change the blend mode to Darken. While selected, also edit the layer style to include an Up Bevel.
Select the paper layer and change the blend mode to Overlay.
Add a new Text layer as the top layer. Type the words. The text color should be black.
Double-click the text and select the Arc tool. Adjust the Arc and the size of the text to fit the desired area.
Select the text layer and change the blend mode to Screen. While selected, also edit the layer style to include a black drop shadow, a black stroke, and a bevel.
Save the file in the necessary formats. 5
Blood Moon 2015 Since I normally shoot macro, close-up, and still life photos, getting a picture of the full blood moon was a stretch for me. Getting a good clear view was also difficult since I’m in the city surrounded by street lights and porch lights. I zoomed in as much as I could and use a high ISO to capture a few shots of the moon. The resulting photographs were a bit noisy, but I liked the results when combined with layers and images in Photoshop Elements 13.
6
Altered Marigold This started out as a photo of a bright yellow marigold. I applied a variety of filters in Photoshop Elements 13 to create a glowing marigold. Available as an 8x8 print on metallic paper mounted on stretched black canvas. Contact me for details.
7
Vintage Halloween — 1970s Wicked Witch Costume This is one of my favorite pictures from my childhood. Dressing up as a wicked witch was my favorite part of Halloween. I took a scan of the original photograph and combined it with other graphic elements in Photoshop Elements 13 to create this vintage-style image.
8
Androidography — App: Photoshop Touch Spooky Pumpkin I like to experiment with different photo manipulation apps on my Android phone. For this piece, I used Photoshop Touch to apply a variety of effects to a picture of a white pumpkin. Unfortunately, Photoshop Touch has been discontinued by Adobe. I’m waiting to test the replacement app that is supposed to be out by the end of the year.
9
Fall 2015 — Self-Portrait — The Symphony of Autumn My selfie, photographs of gourds, melon and leaf graphic images, background patterns, and brushes combined in Photoshop Elements 13. Available as an 8x8 unmatted print. Contact me for details.
10
Androidography — App: BeFunky Harvest Bounty Here is another experiment with a different photo manipulation app on my Android phone. I took a picture of some gourds and then applied a variety of effects with the BeFunky app. It doesn’t have the creative power of Photoshop Touch. Instead, it gives you Instagram-like results with a few more options.
11
Fairy Macro Series My garden has fairies. Every garden does, but a fairy can be hard to spot. With a little patience and a nice macro lens, you might just catch one hanging around the flowers. If you aren’t careful, a young fairy might be carried in on your cut flowers.
12
Yellow Spider Mum Fairy Since fairies like to blend in, you might mistake a fairy for one of the flowers. Available in 8x8 prints and part of a set of the series of five Macro Fairy cards. Contact me for details.
13
Purple Pansy Fairy Fairies also like to fashion their clothes out of flowers. Available as an 8x8 print and as part of a set of the series of five Macro Fairy cards. Contact me for details.
14
Radiant Perfume Rose Fairy Queen The fairy queen adorns herself with the most beautiful and most fragrant flowers in the garden. Available as an 8x8 print and as part of a set of the series of five Macro Fairy cards. Contact me for details.
15
Clematis Fairy Fairies like to spend time lounging in beautiful blossoms. Available as an 8x8 print and as part of a set of the series of five Macro Fairy cards. Contact me for details.
16
Mini Rose Fairy Fairies don’t spend all their time dressing up and resting, they also help tend to the garden. Available as an 8x8 print and as part of a set of the series of five Macro Fairy cards. Contact me for details.
17
One of my favorite techniques is to combine a photograph with graphics. This experimental piece pairs a photo of a rose bouquet with rose hips, water can, butterfly, bee, canvas, and paint drop graphics. The main image 18
appears pasted on top of the canvas. Wanting to try the image with a filter added, I applied the Stained Glass filter in Photoshop Elements 13. The resulting pixelated image reminds me of cross stich or canvas needlework. 19
20